This disclosure pertains to a heated satellite dish. More particularly, some implementations of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for heating a satellite configured to prevent snow and/or ice buildup on a satellite antenna.
Conventional satellite dish antennas are configured to receive signals from satellites such as satellite television broadcasts. Conventional satellite dish antennas normally comprise a parabolic-shaped dish that reflects the satellite signal to a focal point. A receiver such as a feedhorn is placed at the focal point to gather the satellite signal and to pass it on to a processor such as a set-top box that converts the signal for viewing. To effectively receive the satellite signal, the parabolic-shaped dish must have a direct line-of-sight view with the satellite that is transmitting the satellite signal. To achieve a clear line-of-sight view with the satellite, satellite dishes are often mounted on a roof of a house or other similar structure so that the line-of-sight is unobstructed. Because of these types of rooftop mountings, access to mounted satellite dishes can be limited and/or difficult.
Conventional satellite dishes can suffer from loss of reception when snow and/or ice accumulate on the parabolic-shaped dish. Accumulation of snow and/or ice on the parabolic-shaped dish can prevent the satellite signal from being effectively reflected from a front surface of the parabolic-shaped dish to the receiver. Often, snow and/or ice accumulation must either be allowed to melt or must be removed manually. Removing snow and/or ice accumulation manually from the satellite dish can be difficult because of limited access to roof-mounted dishes. It can be difficult and/or dangerous for a person to gain access to these roof-mounted satellite dishes (e.g. by climbing a ladder onto the roof) and the roof can be snowy and/or icy and add to the risk of injury and/or death (e.g. from slipping and/or falling from the roof).
Additionally, manual clearing of accumulation of snow and/or ice on the parabolic-shaped dish can lead to misalignment and/or damage of the dish. Cleaning snow and/or ice from the dish by using hands can lead to this misalignment and/or damage. Also, tools such as broomsticks or similar items are often used to manually clear snow and ice accumulation and can lead to similar damage and/or misalignment.
Although accumulation of snow and/or ice from the parabolic-shaped dish can be removed manually, manually removing snow and/or ice accumulation is not without its shortcomings. For example, manually removing accumulation can be dangerous and can lead to injury and/or death. Another shortcoming is that manually removal of accumulation can lead to misalignment and/or damage of the satellite dish. Furthermore, it is often necessary to manually remove snow and/or ice several times during a lengthy winter storm or during and/or after multiple winter storms.
Thus, while snow and/or ice can be manually removed from a satellite dish, challenges still exist, including those listed above. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.